Wednesday 1/11/2006, Page: 1
By ROD MYER
SUSTAINABILITY is already a job creation factor in Australia with the renewable energy sector alone employing more than 6100 people.
According to the Business Council for Sustainable Energy, the renewable energy sector has turnover of $2 billion. The employment breakdown for the sector is 1566 in hydro electricity, 1200 in solar hot water, 1000 in wind power, 1335 in photovoltaics, 900 in biomass energy and 120 in geothermal and wave power projects.
The number is expected to grow by at least 2000 with the help of Victoria's new renewable energy scheme, under which new renewable output will move to 10 per cent of the state's generation capacity by 2016. The recently announced $420 million Solar Systems generator planned for the Mildura region will create 950 jobs during construction and provide 44 ongoing jobs when it becomes operational.
What the BCSE calls the "sustainable energy industry", including the above renewable technologies as well as gas-fired generation and the energy advisory industry, employs 20,000 and has a turnover of $5.7 billion.
Australia also has an industry manufacturing and exporting solar cells. Energy group Origin is looking for partners to commercialise its proprietary sliver technology, which cuts the use of expensive silicon in photovoltaic cells. Oil giant BP already exports about $100 million worth of solar cells from its Sydney factory and provides for the nation's needs as well. Every year BP produces cells capable of generating 50 megawatts compared with a total Australian demand of only 10 megawatts.
The desire of Australians to offset their carbon emissions by growing trees has also created a new industry. Not-for-profit groups Greenfleet and Carbon Neutral charge a fee ($40-$50 a year for the average car) to offset carbon emissions with tree planting.
An average car requires the planting of 17 trees a year to offset its carbon emissions. Flying to England on a Boeing 747 emits about 12 tonnes of greenhouse gas per passenger and requires 55 trees as an offset. But don't think offsets allow you to be profligate. The trees take 30 years to take in the carbon produced in one year of driving or a 21-hour flight.
Economics Of Emission Cuts
- Annual market for low-carbon energy products by 2050: $US500 billion
- Renewable energy products market size- $US38 billion
- Jobs in renewable energy products: 1.7 million.
- Growth rate of renewable energy markets (2005): 25 per cent.
- Market value of solar companies: $US27 billion (up 38-fold in 12 months to August).
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